Tradition demands the away goalkeeper be given a rousing ovation when he runs to The Kop but future sightings of Darren Randolph may cause Liverpool’s fans to think again.

Anfield will forever hold a special place in Randolph’s memories as it was the stadium when, the day after his 20th birthday in 2007, he made his debut for Charlton Athletic and was responsible for denying Robbie Fowler a goal on his final Liverpool appearance.

He stood between the posts last August, too, when West Ham recorded a first win away at Liverpool in more than 50 years, so the fact Slaven Bilic turned to him on Saturday for the FA Cup fourth round tie could have been seen as a sign.

West Ham stand-in keeper thwarted Liverpool with a succession of saves during their FA Cup draw

Randolph was deputising for West Ham No 1 Adrian who travelled to Spain for his child's birth

‘Every time I’ve come here I’ve played well and got a result,’ Randolph said after keeping his sixth clean sheet in eight appearances for club and country this season, a shutout that secured West Ham a replay at Upton Park next Tuesday.

Though Adrian, West Ham’s No 1, had flown back to Spain to be with his wife who is due to give birth, it was always Bilic’s intention to play Randolph at Anfield and there was never a moment when that decision looked like it would back fire.

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‘Whenever I get a game I have to show what I can do,’ said Randolph, whose nomadic career saw him play for seven clubs before arriving at West Ham last summer. ‘Our defence is so good that it’s easy to step back into the team – and it’s been that way most of the season.

In a tie that lacked the fizz that was initially anticipated when the draw was made, Randolph was central to the defining moment when in the space of 10 seconds, he plunged, leapt and spread himself to thwart the hapless Christian Benteke on three occasions.

Benteke comes within inches of connecting with a whipped in cross before Randolph saves

The Hammers keeper bravely hurls himself at the feet of Joe Allen to deny Liverpool a late winner

The former Charlton keeper denied Robbie Fowler a goal in his final game at Anfield during his 2007 debut

Randolph looked dazed as he rose from that incident midway through the second period and, as he tried to gather his thoughts, the moment when the ball was pinging against him was still something of a blur. Initially he had no clue that he was adding to the toiling Benteke’s woes.

‘I couldn’t tell you who they were from but I remember the saves,’ said Randolph. ‘It’s something where you can give yourself a mental pat on the back afterwards, but it’s also something you work hard on in training – reacting quickly if you can’t hold onto the ball at the first attempt.

‘It’s only when the danger is over that you think about it, and take a bit of satisfaction from doing your job well. We played hard after losing a couple of the boys early on to injury, which caused quite a bit of disruption. We knew they would bring it on at home but we coped with things very well.’

In some ways, it was surprise that Randolph had so much to do. When Jurgen Klopp issued his team sheet, which had 10 changes from the team that had wriggled past Stoke in the Capital One Cup, it could have appeared an invitation for West Ham to beat Liverpool for a third time this season.

Randolph says while he doesn't remember who he thwarted 'but I remember the saves’

Reds stopper Simon Mignolet (right) congratulates his West Ham counterpart after the game

Instead, a number of young players came to the fore for Liverpool, among them Joao Teixeira, Kevin Stewart and Cameron Brannagan. The last named, a 19-year-old who was born in Manchester United heartland, has impressed Klopp and he will be getting more chances before the season’s end.

‘I've been working at Liverpool since I was five,’ said Brannagan. ‘It is a big step to come to Melwood and then play at Anfield in front of all the fans. It is an inspiration and I am really proud of myself for doing that and I can't explain how thankful I am to the manager for the opportunity.

‘He (Klopp) is just pleased because we are a young side. He knows if we make a mistake it might just bring us down a bit so he said if you make a mistake just carry on which we all did. We made mistakes at times but the fans helped us and got behind us.